Tail light



G. S. ELLITHORPE.

TAIL LIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.28, 1919.

Patented @013. 1m, 11922..

2 sHEETs-SHEET 1.

Men .61"; GMfgZ/ZQQ all) arna'r s. nrmrnonrn, or onrcaeo, ILLINOIS, assrenon, nr manor arm a: 1'

ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE BAG-LITE CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF ITNOTS.

TAIL LIGHT.

hp1p1icatlon filed November at, 1919. Serial No. M1351.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, GILBERT S. ELLI- rrronrn, a. citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tail Lights, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tail lights for vehicles, and especially to.the structure and form of the lamp-casing and lens. The main objects of the invention are to provide an improved and more desirable form and arrangement of easing, lens, and number-plate as a whole; to provide a simplified form of holder or casin for the lamp to provide such a casing o shallow form adapted for insertion and exchange of lamps from the lens side; to provide against dust or moisture entering the casing; to provide an improved form of lens consistent with the improved casing and adapted to serve more efliciently than lenses heretofore used; to provide such a lens for a tail light, adapted. to serve both as a rear danger signal and as a means of illuminating the roadway behind the vehicle in case it is desired to back up, as for instance, in turning; to provide a lens of the general character stated, of cupped shape formed and adapted to insure good illumination of the number plate and to provide for a substantial degree of side lighting in addition to that usually provided for the number plate; and to provide a lens having a rearward red display zone and a rearward plain part adapted to throw the main illuminating light 1n a manner and direction. highlyeffective for lightingthe roadway and also in a manner adapted to avoid glaring or blinding eflects on the eyes of a person who may chance to be inrange of the main illuminating part of the light.

An illustratlve embodiment of'this inven tion is shown in the accompanying drawings, in wh1ch- Fig. 1- is a vertical axial sectlon through the preferred form of my caslng and lens.

Fig. 2 is a view of the device of Fig. l,

showingthe tail light and number plate assemblage as viewed from behind the vehicle. Fig. 3 is a vertical axial section through the lens and a usual form of easing.

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the casing and lens of Fig. 3, assembled complete, as viewed from behind the vehicle.

In the construction shown in Fi 1 and -2, the lens 1 is secured demountab y in the open face of the lamp casin 2 in which the lamp 3- is centrally held. aid casing 2 is nearly flat and is in substantially the same plane with the license number plate 4.

Said lens is held in place by means of a removable resilient Wire 5 resting a ainst the. outer side of a flange 6 on the e go of the lens. Said lens is substantially cup-- shaped and in this embodiment is somewhat convex at the cup bottom. Tt is provided with a central part 7 of uncolored glass surrounded by a medial zone 8 of red glass and an outer rim 9 of plain glass. The rim 9 is conoidal and flares divergently from the part 8. Its outer edge terminates in the flat retaining flange 6, which is dis osed radially with respect to the main axis 0 the lamp. As will be seen, the danger signal is'elfected by the red part, and the central part facilitates and insures illuminating the road- Way sufficiently to enable the driver to back the vehicle in the dark without danger of running into hidden obstacles. The outer pa it 9 serves to throw the light on the number plate a, as well also as for some degree of eneral side illumination.

he red part 8 on its back or inner side is provided with a series of annular prismatio steps 10 formed to give a somewhat prismatic efi'ect for better concentration and direction of the light, as understood in the art. The central plain part or bulls-eye 7 is provided on its back side with a number of horizontal prismatic steps 11 formedand arranged to throw the light downward somewhat onto the roadway and so as to avoid a glaring effect such as would tend to blind a person standing behind the vehicle. ltis to be understood that the lens may well be frosted li htly, preferably on the inner side,

so as to urther prevent glaring effects.

The plate-shaped casing 2 comprises a fiat body part with a flange 12 turned first toward the vlehiicle somewhat at 13 and then outward to receive the lens rim 6. The extremity of said flange 12 is turned inward at 14 to engage the resilient locking ring '5. Said ring isopen at 15 to facilitate removal. A packing ring 16 rests in the groove at 13 and provides a dust-tight mois ture-excluding seat for the lens 1.

The casin body is centrally apertured and fitt d with a socket 1.7 for said lamp TOO llOll plate 18 b 'to say, toward the vehicle, and projects through a supporting plate 18, apertured therefor at 19, to which it is rigidly secured. The electrical connections for said socket are the same as are customarily used for tail lights. ,The' number plate 4 is secured detachably to the lower edge of any suitable means as shown ng to Figs. 3 and 4, showing my improved lens as applied to casings of the general form heretofore commonly used, the casing21 comprises a flat body part 22, provided with a cylindrical flange or Wall 23, the outer edge of which is turned inward to engage the locking ring 5. Said wall part 23 is provided with a transparent-window 24 to illuminate the number plate, not shown in this view. This wall 23 is also provided with an inwardly projecting peripheral shoulder 25, spaced somewhat from the edge to form a bearing seat for the lens rim 6. The socket 26 is mounted rigidly in the back wall 22. The other numerals on Figs. 3 and 4 have the same significance as on Figs. 1 and 2.

It is to be noted that in the preferred form, that is to say in the flat casing structure of Fig. 1, the device is sealed tightly, not only at the edge of the lens by the packing ring 6, but the door or window 24 of Fig. 4 is eliminated, and the lamp is attachable from the inside when the lens is off instead of being attachable from the outside, the catch 27 being inside the casing in Fig. 1 and outside in Fig. 4. This not only prevents rust inside the casing but more important still, protects the inner side of the lens from becoming fouled with dust. The flat type of casing is economical of materials and is easy to make. The device as a whole is ornamental and is compact in form. I

It is to be understood that the term lens as herein used is intended to apply to such part or parts of the device as transmit the light emanating from the lamp.

Although but one specific embodiment of;

this tail light invention as a whole, and only one application of the new lens with an old casing, are herein shown and described, it is to be understood that numerous details of the constructions shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A vehicle tail light lens comprising a convex part including a centrally located plain illuminating part and a surrounding colored annular signal part. the colored part having its inner face prismatically stepped to converge the light rays, and the plain part having its inner face prismatically stepped horizontally to throw the light diagonally downward to illuminate the roadway.

2. A vehicle tail light lens including a red danger signal part and a plain illuminating part, the red part having its inner face prismatically stepped to converge the light rays and the plain part having its inner face prismatically stepped horizontally to throw the light diagonally downward to illuminate the roadway.

Signed at Chicago this 26th day of November, 1919.

GILBERT s. ELLITHORPE. 

